The wind was blowing violently and rain drizzled down on Gotham in a rapid, ruthless rhythm. Almost no one was out on the streets, and the silence that had fallen over the dark city was almost touchable. There were a series of strange terrorist attacks throughout the whole city, only one man was responsible for it. Everyone feared for their lives once he stroke down somewhere close to you, and honestly you could not blame them. Although the change it would ever happen to you was very slight the fear was still there, so it was for me.

Swiftly from a abandoned street corner appeared a slender, small person. She wore a black, very tight fitting pair of jeans and a simple, grey hood. Just from under the hood spiked some dull brown hair. She ran over to the other side of an alleyway and looked nervously back over her shoulder, her brown eyes scanning every movement that would appear. She had heard the rumors and was not going to stick around after work, no sir. From herself she was a very shy and skittish person, more than ready to flee rather than fight. Every time someone around her called her a coward, they were actually right.
When she turned around and ended up into a dead end alley she skirted to an halt and frowned. She walked this road every day when she came back from her useless, and tired some work so why was it closed? She turned around and follow the alley back to end up on the same street as moments before. Her hazel brown eyes scanned the area and with a sigh of relief she noticed that in her hast she took the wrong trail. Happy there was no one around to spot her she continued her journey home, halfway almost tripping over her own feet. She silence that hung in the air was almost choking, she did not like it. Not. One. Bit.

Finally when the flat she lived in came into view she calmed somewhat down, knowing she would be safe home in her own, boring house, with nothing to do. Just when she was about to stick the key into the door inside she heard a enormous blast not too far away. Immediately she spun around and looked wide eyed to a big cloud of smoke rising up not even three blocks away. Fearing the worst she rammed the key into the keyhole and opened the door, dashing inside and running towards the stairs like the devil himself was chasing her. She opened the door to the staircase and bolted up, rising more than four floors before she opened the door to her left and ran for it. The door on the far end was hers, and within no time she opened it nearly tripping over her own feet again inside. When she slammed the door behind her back she sighted with relief, only to be greeted by a brown tabby cat sitting a meter in front of her.

"Hello to you as well" I growled, still somewhat disturbed by what she just witnessed. The worst things were crossing her mind. She quickly glanced trough the dark apartment, as if she was wondering if someone was inside. Cautiously she turned the light on and sighted. The apartment was small, with on the right a small kitchen, straight forward when you entered the living room and only one door leading to the bathroom and bedroom. She took off her coat and threw it on the nearest chair. When she was about to walk further into the room she noticed a bunch of letters lying at her feet. She cautiously stepped off of them and picked one up. Bills, bills, bills, letter from Aria, bills. Grunting she threw the bills on the table and walked with Aria's letter toward the speckled, cowhide couch. She dropped down on it and opened it, expecting anything but this.

'Dear Heather,

I decided to leave Gotham, I am terribly sorry I can't say it right in your face but things ought to be a little rushed and hectic out here. My apartment is already sold to a newly and happily married couple so don't bother coming by. When you receive this letter I am probably already in Europe, I will send you the data on my new house and such later. Take good care, and give Stick a hug from me. You know he will miss me.

Take care, Aria'

Blankly I stared at the letter, my mind went on black. Aria was in a nutshell my best friend that I met once on the internet when I was about fifteen years old. Together we moved to Gotham to begin a better future, together we once spotted 'The Batman' on the street, together we first ventured the depths of Gotham at night and now she was leaving just like this? This was not possible.

A sad mew somewhere close to my right ear draw my attention. I looked over and saw Stick sitting there, his brown tabby pelt ruffled.

I started to pet him behind the ear and my mood dropped. Aria left Gotham without a word saying to me? That was not right in any way. She would never do this, could it be that she would be..?
I shook the thought out of my head and growled in frustration. Wild speculations flew through my brain like a group of angry wasps, the most horrible scenario's played itself until I called myself to a halt and looked desperate out of the window. The blast and cloud of smoke from earlier forgotten I looked over the buildings, wondering what I had to do now. I had a nightshift to do later on so I could not let myself fall back, and cry like a child all over again for nothing. I was now all alone, in this big city full of danger. If I only had the money to move away from this city I would do it without second though, but then again were my ideas to go somewhere not very helping. I had nothing to go to, nothing to see except Aria but she was now gone as well. With a frustrated sigh I felt back down in the cough, head in my hands and felt a soft sob escaping my lips. What else could go wrong from this point? Only three hours later I was about to find that out..

I looked at the old clock hanging above refrigerator and sighted. Time for my nightshift, it was only one รณ clock in the morning but I had a day of tomorrow so there was no need to worry.
I had a good education, the experience, but not the job. I was supposed to be a doctor, but I thought halfway my study otherwise and ended up somewhere in the gutter.

As I picked my keys out of the little cabinet I put them in next to the door I gave Stick a loving stroke over his ruffled, brown head. He mew sad, not wanting me to leave and sat stubborn down right in front of the door. I simply opened it and pushed the door against his back. Hissing he walked back towards the kitchen and flicked his tail in disgust. I snorted and closed the door behind me.

I walked relaxed down towards the nightclub I worked every night, not even thinking of the attack hours ago. I simply forgot about it, Aria took all the space in my brain at this moment. It was too busy in my head that I did not even notice the bright stars, shining peacefully in the sky or the full moon. No, I did not notice anything at all.

When I turned around the corner my heart dropped, and fell three kilometers down. My hazel brown eyes bared a look of pure horror. At the place where my nightclub and three other buildings were suppose to stand now rested a huge gap, totally blown out. People all around the hole were scattered about, babbling nervously about the scene in front of them. The absence of police officers made my heart go cold and I wished I never left the building. A strange, but familiar feeling reached out to me and I turned around to start a dash home as if I was expecting someone to appear out of nowhere and shoot me, just like that.

So I turned around and made a dash for it, the familiar fear creeping up on me. I was a coward, indeed. My whole life I would run away from everything, or freeze in fear. If I had the option, die of fight I would most likely chose death.
While my feet rapidly crossed the street, for once not using my terrible balance disorder to land face first on the stone. For some reason I took the wrong trail again, probably because of my terrible sense of direction. When I looked over my shoulder I sworn I could have see someone disappearing behind a container. Fear now clearly taking over I did not notice the person standing around the corner. So royally, and with full impact I crashed into him.

Thinking I hid a wall I cried out in surprise and pain and fell awkwardly back on my ass. I grunted and blinked several time, seeing stars. But when my sight returned to normal and I looked up I could see something standing in front of me. Not something .. someone! I realized. Very slowly I looked up, to meet two pair of dangerously, cold blue/grey eyes. All the blood drained out of my face, I thought I was going to pass out. The faint silhouette of his mask was barely visible, his eyes shone like headlight in the darkness, and he looked like he could snap my neck between two fingers.

This was not happening, this could not be happening! I stood face to face with the person whole Gotham feared. Bane.

A/N: So, CHAPTER ONE IS UP :D
GAH! It took forever because my body thought it was time for the flue. So My head is pounding, and I feel like throwing my inside out into the toilet. But yeh, it gives me inspiration for some reason. Here it is~

Sorry for the long, and boring intro but I wanted to make everything right. As for Bane in the alley? Heck if I know what he is doing outside x'D
Read about it in the next chapter, bye guys ;D Stay tuned :3

OUT~